If going to the NLCS feels this good…

I can’t imagine what eight more wins would feel like. What an amazing night and an incredible series. Tonight was yet another step towards the ultimate goal, but for the people who started working here after 1988, this is really hard to describe. I know for myself, personally, I’ve been here since 1995 and never had the chance to enjoy a berth in the NLCS.

If you think about all the fans who were born after 1988 and all the front office employees, ushers, ticket takers and others who have been waiting and waiting just to win a postseason series, this is so well deserved.

So celebrate tonight, everyone. We’re one of four teams that will have a crack at the World Championship and one of two with the chance to represent the NL in the Fall Classic.

Man, what a game!!! Glad Furcal’s back!!! Anyone think Kent starts in the league championship series? Was he out there whooping it up w/ the rest of the team?? If Kent comes back like Raffy, WATCH OUT!!!!! Hope Brox can pitch like he did tonight for the rest of the play-offs!! Simply NASTY!!!

I just got home. WOW. So much energy was out there tonight and so much excitement. All the hard work and dedication for the guys and from the fans really did pay off. And tonight, we celebrate!!!!!!
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GO DODGERS!!!
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P.S- people were NOT leaving early. It was a packed house all night🙂

This came from one of the Cubs blogs, but still not the one I saw earlier. This one was titled “Cubs – Next Century is Here”
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Somebody please buy this team and move it to Tibet.
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I HATE being a Cub fan.
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If somebody has a 12 step program for Cub fans please email me with it. If not maybe I’ll start a support group.
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What a JOKE THIS TEAM IS AND HAS BEEN!
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Congratulations to the LA Dodgers. Manny is the real deal – 5 for 10 – Wow – Go show Chicago how baseball should be played.

The boys did so great and OUR PITCHING was so on point. I was so proud to be a true Dodger fan that has been around for an entire season. It was incredible to be a part of the celebration with our team. They are an amazing group of guys.
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Thanks Dnel and Bluecrew🙂 so much fun!

and the best part is, it’s not our last home game. Sara and I will be back next week. I love it, I was telling all the people as I was walking out- see you next week!! Best night ever!!! The crowd was into every moment and people we actually watching the game and not there to be seen. Purely wonderful.

night obi. Sorry I wasn’t around to have fun with yall tonight. I will have to reread some of the posts when I am wake tomorrow.
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With that, I am going to get into that nice cozy bed of mine.
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Good night my friends🙂 Sweet Dodger Victory Dreams.

hey everyone! tonight was AMAZING~ the boys really represented well and took care of business.. the stadium was electric! i had a blast for sure.. it was a great game.. our pitching is really incredible which gives me so much confidence for the rest of the playoffs no matter who we’re up against!! i’m SO proud of all the boys! they deserve these celebrations and we will celebrate twice more! 🙂

well eric, if oregon hadn’t turned the ball over right before the half allowing us to tack on an additional touchdown.. the second half may have been different.. but i agree that last week’s loss doesn’t make any sense.. and of course oregon state doesn’t want to help us at all since they lost today.. we need them to keep winning, but i guess they don’t want to 😛

bluecrewgirl.. i was hoping that when i chose dodgers over usc for today, that i made the right choice.. and CLEARLY i did.. they started slowly, but we finished the half strong.. i’m glad both my teams won today!

She even made a beautiful nun in “The Bells of St. Mary’s” – one of my favorite movies. I watch that, along with “White Christmas” on Thanksgiving Day while I am cooking. It’s been a tradition since I have been married to the start of our holiday season.

I think we are going to be just fine. I am sure for the next few days it will be all about how the Cubs lost versus how the Dodgers won, and that in itself should give them the momentum to kick some butt.

Tonight was absolutely awesome. I don’t think any of us ever sat down. We were on our feet cheering almost the entire game. Kuroda-San was so wonderful, Cory was great and our Jonny was brilliant. Pitching does make the difference. Our team is tough and will continue to dominate through the World Series. I have believed this since the beginning of the season but with the addition of Casey and Manny, it has become reality. I was one of the first to purchase my postseason tickets. I felt in my heart I would need them. GO DODGERS! : )

Have you been getting alot of submission errors lately? Was that you who mentioned that earlier? That has happened to me quite often lately. The error says there were too many submissions in a short period of time, but it posts the comments anyway.

Yes, I’ve been getting errors on top of getting kicked off. Maddening.

With Torre FINALLY playing the right people EVERY DAY, I now believe we have a shot at winning the Series. Boston would be the toughest opponent because they’re so battle-tested. Can you imagine going to Fenway with Manny and Lowe and Nomar? And Torre? Holy crap!

2:18 now. I’m an idiot. To bed with me! Good night Dodger Nation and good night to you, June Darlin’! What a night!!!

Nice win tonight and it fell so good to sweep the Cubs. You gotta love the yahoo expert and only one of them thought this was going to go 5 but he did picked us to win thank Tim Brown. I wonder how much they get pay? If we go ahead and do win the WS, this going to make some fans not happy. It would be a really blow for the Red Sox and Francona and for the Giants no one care for them and Kent will get his 2nd rings the 1st one Toronto gave him on as a gift just like Nomar got one when he was traded to the Cubs. I think the biggest blow is Torre finally winning another WS in the Yankees face without Jeter and Rivera.

Good morning nelly. What a great win last night. The Dodgers had out the brooms early. The Tigers absolutely annihilated the corn huskers in Lincoln where they haven’t won in 30 years. The Redskins/Eagles game is on here at noon followed by the Cowboys/Bengals game at 3:00. I’m glad the Dodgers won last night as I never would have been able to handle their game along with the NFL today. Good luck on the Redskins game today. Will be an important game for them. Talk to you later

Good Morning, Boblee!!
The Dodger game last night was remarkable! I am glad your Tigers won, and I don’t see the Cowboys having too many problems with the Bengals this afternoon. I think our game might depend on if Westbrook is playing for the Eagles or not. It will make it a little easier for the Skins to have a chance. However, one of my fantasy team’s has Westbrook and I missed him dearly last week in that league. Good Luck to your Boys today!!!
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Shad ~ great visual, and they were all wrong, but not many predicted us to win so I wasn’t surprised.
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arayd – Let them keep saying it that way. That will just motivate the Dodgers more, don’t you think?

Biggest reason the Dodgers swept the Cubs: Soriano 1 for 14. Our pitchers kept their leadoff guy consistantly off the basepaths, and that was huge.

Ferk also adds another dimension to this team that it hasn’t had all year – it makes is a solid group 1 thru 8. Before there was always one or two weak links, which sometimes the kids tried to overcompensate for.

Someone asked if Kent starts the second round. IMO there are 2 answers: No and Hell No. DeWitt’s doing a terrific job at the position, and the team chemistry right now is the best its ever been. I like Jeff coming off the bench, which is also the best its been all year.

Finally, I’ll eat a little morning crow… this is the best Torre has managed all season, and I’m really hoping he doesn’t fall back on some bad habits. Its a different game when he doesn’t have Sweeney and Procto to mess things up with, and I have to give him credit for picking the 25 guys he did.

Congrats on one of the best series in a long, long time, and this one was really clutch! Agree with enchanted about the makeup of the team in these playoffs, and kudos to Torre for sticking with the lineup and keeping Kent and Nomar on the sidelines. Nothing against either one, but our best guys are out there on the field. Last night was great performance on Brox’s part, and it should give him extra confidence for whatever we face the rest of the way. With this series under our belt, there is no reason we cant’ take on anybody. You can pick one or two guys as the MVP so far, but to me it was a team win – a team that really looks jelled.

Good morning everyone! Great win last night and throughout the series! At times I talk in my sleep, and this morning my wife informed me that during the night I said, rather loudly, LET’S GO DODGERS!!🙂 I’m glad I say intelligent things in my sleep!

So much to say!! But very little time. Going to Santat Barbara. Whenever you go there, eat at La Superica. Best Mexican food EVER!! Try the #6 — tacos de rajas. Mmmmmm.
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They flashed a young lady on Dodger vision with a “Marry me, Matt Kemp” sign. Amy?
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My Loney has a first name
It’s J-A-M-E-S
My Loney has a second name
It’s L-O-N-E-Y

I love to watch him every day
And if you ask me “Why?” I’ll say
‘Cause James Loney has a way
with H-I-T-T-I-N-G
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I’ll be at the NLCS. I’ve got tix for Dodger Stadium games 1 and 2, but I’ll probably go to only one or the other. My uncle and his friends are using whatever I don’t.
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Gotta go.

I don’t know about some of you but I feel validated. I have bitched for 2 years here almost daily. this quote says it all. Torre is the MVP.

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“Well,” Torre said, “I wasn’t part of that history either. But, it’s very satisfying. Very satisfying. We had a lot of people doubting us all year. And … we weren’t resentful about it. It was just the fact we hadn’t played well enough to get anybody’s attention.

“But, they started having fun. I can’t thank the veterans on this club enough for stepping aside. Jeff and Nomar and Juan [Pierre], I mean, they made my life a lot easier to write a lineup without their names in it.”

Morning all:)
Lny4loney- haha NO!!! that wasn’t me. I would NOT go that far. I am happy that you thought of me though🙂 that’s funny. I’ve got my ticket as well to the NLCS:) I can’t wait.
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Jungar- fantastic quote. See everything came together for us at the end of the season. Torre “gets it” and the kids “get it”. It just makes the whole ups and downs of this season so much more satisfying to know that it’s all worked out in OUR favor!!
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GO DODGERS! I love you so much!
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I am off for the day. Catch up with you all tonight. Have a lovely day everyone. Doesn’t it feel good not to worry about games 4 and 5. *phew* *sigh* *Smile*

And ya know jeanette, the TBS guys were doing that last year with the Rockies. They didn’t give them a chance to go to the WS and seemed “shocked” that they did! Not that I’m a big Rockies fan (don’t worry, I’m not at all), but come on guys, open up your eyes. The NL West teams are not as bad as you make them out to be…

Wow! just caught up with 500+ posts since the last one I read before heading to the stadium. Got there 3hrs+ before game time and I did not get home until 2 a.m.
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I saw what they had at the auction way prior to the game. Would have liked the two bowling shirts that they had bundled together but I did not go back as I did not want to miss any of the games!
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I am still ecstatic! We had an incredible time! prior to the game I saw a couple in the loge picnic area with white short robes with 97 and Beimel’s name. It was funny!! Someone in my section snuck a Dodger blue broom. Also saw some signs that fans snuck in one said:
The
Boys of
Summer
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Clever to emphasize TBS there to get on the screen and also to pay tribute to Newk and Snider throwing out the first ball. Other wrote on their towels or sheets.
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Love the loud applauses that Jeff Kent got! At the end when Manny took the mike he said “party at my house. Party like a rock star if you can find it.” LOL. This guy infront of me said “can we google it?”
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Amy, did you see the pics I emailed you? .
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Bring it on Phillies!!!!

AND most articles are about the cubs failure rather than the dodgers success..but it’s ok..we’ll catch them by surprise..again..
and what’s up with all these bandwagon fans all of a sudden?? (my sister being one of them!) seems like everyone had on something dodger yesterday! (my mom said “you have something dodger too!”) but I always have something Dodger on…even when they lose!

Jungar – LMAO! I can’t believe Torre said that. It’s good enough to repeat early and often:
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“But, they started having fun. I can’t thank the veterans on this club enough for stepping aside. Jeff and Nomar and Juan [Pierre], I mean, they made my life a lot easier to write a lineup without their names in it.”

I saw this one article complaining that the Dodgers knew they would play the Cubs ahead of time and the Cubs didn’t know who they would play so they couldn’t prepare. What a joke! First of all, the Dodgers didn’t know who they would play until right near the end of the season and second of all, it’s each team’s job to prepare ahead of time for all potential opponents. To blame the league for their loss is ridiculous.

I love Tommy comment after that game. He didn’t want to go in the clubhouse and I forgot who interview him but said if the Dodgers win the WS would you go in but Tommy said he wanted to stay out of it because they wanted him so bad.

My wife and I made two batches of Ghiradelli brownies because tonight we are celebrating her birthday with my family (B-day was last Tuesday). Brownies, scoop of ice cream, and glass of milk! Aggggggggghhhh (think Homer Simpson and Duff Beer)

PianoMan ~ I like our pitching over the Phillies. I think if we can stay loose and happy, like Manny says, we can win. I think we have peaked just at the right time. I think Joe Torre will manage a better game. What do you think?

bluecrewgirl ~ I think Dre and Matt will be the two to step it up in te next round. They have one series under their belts and now can relax and just smash the ball. I don’t think we have an easy out in our lineup……all the batters one through eight can do damage.

I agree with you all. If we can control guys like Utley, Burrell and Howard, and minimize Victorino and Werth, we should be good to go. Our pitching has an edge, and our manager does too, especially in the postseason.

Hey all, what a great weekend. Now we got the Phillies, so… ummm… who’s gonna put the Dodgers hat on the Rocky statue?

But in seriousness, I’ve joined Next Gen gaming with XBox 360. First thing I did was go out and rent MLB 2K8. I fashioned my own “current Dodgers roster” last night, but today DL’ed the newest Roster update. It sucks, though, ’cause the newest update was pre-Furcal and Saito healing up. I’ll solve that soon, though, as I was kicking butt last night with my modified roster (w/Furcal and healthy Kent, who is the Superman of ndeschenes lore).

I thought of all you Ethierholics, Martinistas and Happy Kempers after beating the Giants, as semi-realistic Dre, Cap’n and Bison were celebrating walking off the field at the end of the game. (well, more realistic than what this guy used to GameCube graphics has seen, where every player sorta looks like Jason Grabowski)

Off to pick up cheap Little Ceasar’s Pizza, which is across work from the unamed “ultra-expensive medieval-themed” pizza joint where I work. I’m bad, I know, but I’ve loved Little Ceasar’s pizza all my life, even these cheapie $5 versions. Wish they’d make those huge rectangles that came wrapped in paper, though. My fave slices were the ones in the middle without crust. Yumm.

nstateblues ~ Thanks. You made me hungry and I just ate! lol… I’d go for the brownies, because, not only am I an Ethieraholic, I’m also a chocolate fanatic! Damn, I’m a Happy Kemper and a Martinista too! I’ve really got a huge addiction.

nsblues – I can see why “The Pulse” might be winning the cyber competition. After reading it the last couple of days, I don’t think there is one post less than 10 lines long, and most are between 20 and 40. Weren’t you the one who mentioned you thought it was based on pages, not necessarily the number of posts. Also, they are still not so happy over there, and even around here, we tend to get a little more long winded when things aren’t going well versus when things are going well. And, I guess you would say things are going quite well on the Dodger front these days.

Yeah, the game is fun. I have to find a way to get Furcal and Saito back on the roster with the September update team with pumped up Dre, Kemp (who hit a HR last game I played and hit the bottom of the wall with his other hit) and the gang. Then, I embarass the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Wish it had Ebbets Field on it… the only video game I know of with Ebbets is All-Star Baseball 2005 (known as ASB 2005), which has it under the name “Dodgers Retro”. Wouldn’t mind playing a season in Brooklyn with this bunch, I’ll tell you that.

Tru, I’m sorry🙂 I hate when people do that to me, sitting all full, and then they talk about the molten lava chocolate cake they had or something. I don’t know what I’d call myself in reference to Ethierholics, Martinistas and Happy Kempers. I can’t make a decision, so I won’t. They’re all great, but I really dig Russell Martin. But I also really dig Ethier, Kemp, Loney, Blake, Manny, DeWitt, Billingsley, Broxton, Saito, Lowe, Kuroda…. ad infinitum. I’m a fence-sitting undecided voter, you know, those ones no one thinks exist🙂

Good evening ITD boys and girls!
So how are my fellow ITDers??? I am so proud of our boys in blue!!! So we play Philly in the next round. We can handle them. Yes, our pitchers have to be very careful with them, but they had to be careful with the Cubs. I don’t see a sweep (for either team), but 6 games – yeah, I see that.

Wow! The Angels just got out of that one by the skin of their teeth! I know most of y’all aren’t Angel fans, but I’m just rooting for them to extend the series, so my husband has one of his teams still in the playoffs…

Nelly – So we ask how each other is doing at the same time! Didn’t we say a long time ago that we are a lot alike??? 🙂 Your fellow Ethieraholic is doing fine! Last night was just so thrilling; I’ve never seen that place like that!!! To say it was fun is a gross understatement!!!

And no, I know that Dre didn’t really have the kind of NLDS that he wanted (hitting-wise) but I have no doubt that both he and Matty will be big in the NLCS against the Phillies!!!

I am doing great!! Having a hard time knowing what to do with myself at night without Dodger baseball to actually actually watch and talk about. I have never been this involved before by talking to other Dodger fans so much, it’s kind of like a daily dose of happy. Even when we are complaining, I still look at it as heaven to be around all Dodger fans. I love my family and all, but the minute I open my mouth about the Dodgers, it’s like their hearing suddenly disappears – LOL!!! It’s coming up on a year where I started reading this blog, and a couple months later, I made my first post. It’s kind of like family where you have to check in to see how everyone is doing…. strange, but fun at the same time.

Like bluecrewgirl and I said last night, the Dodgers wouldn’t be there at all if it wasn’t for the way Andre played the month of September. He played a huge factor in getting to post-season play, and yes, I think he will have his day/series. That ball he hit last night was so very close to going out. You could hear the crack of the bat on tv, and we all thought it was gone too.

Nelly – I hear what you’re saying. I mean, my son and I talk a bit about the Dodgers (he’s starting to notice their little and not-so-little nuances to talk half-way intelligently), but we still don’t talk THAT much. And well, you know about my husband. It’s hard right now because my team just knocked off his team. That’s why I’m pulling for the Angels to extend and win the series, so that he’ll have one team that is “his.” But you’re right, the times that I was away from ITD (like when I was painting a lot), I REALLY missed all of you! It is like a family and I miss everyone so much when I’m away!!!

Hey do y’all want to know something. It has nothing to do with the Dodgers, but it is MLB-related. The Brewers’ losing pitcher today, Jeff Suppan, grew up on the same block of the same street that I grew up on. Now, Jeff is a lot younger than I, so I never knew him or his family. My mom still lived at the old house at the time, but she didn’t know the family. But our neighbor friends from across the street used to see young Jeff play ball on the street. Our neighbor would even go see some of his little league games. The family still lives in the same house and they are still friends. And when the Brewers came to Dodger Stadium to play, Jeff would always leave a few tickets for our old neighbors! Too bad my mom never got to know Jeff and his family! I know it’s not Dodger related, but I thought y’all would like hearing this!!!

CP ~ My husband and son have moved onto strictly football. There are watching the baseball games, but it’s to root for the teams that will beat the Dodgers. They want the Angels to win, and then eventually Tampa Bay to beat us. That’s how they see it playing out. What can I say, they are gnats fans.

Nelly – My husband is going back and forth, but he still loves to watch postseason baseball. Now, I’ll tell you what happens if the Angels get knocked out, this series or next, but he still watches the games. I am not sure who he thought was going to meet in the WS before the postseason started, but I have a feeling it’s not too different than what I thought. As much as I’m a Dodger fan, I still didn’t see them getting past the Cubs – let alone sweep them. But before the postseason started, I thought that it would be the Cubs and the Angels in the WS. Well, I’m wrong one part (and I’m thrilled for that!!!) but, again, I am still pulling for the Angels to win. I would love a Freeway WS!!!

CP – It’s a toss up for me. All three AL teams have their challenges, and I don’t know which one I want our Dodgers playing. I guess first things first – getting past the Phillies, which I think will happen.

Yeah, it’s one thing to say that a Major-Leaguer went to the same HS (even though many, many years separate us). Randy Wolf and I went to the same HS – El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills. Again, like Jeff, Randy is a lot younger than I. Maybe a little closer in age, but not that close. But Jeff Suppan growing up on the same street that I did??? That’s something else…

DNelly, as we talked about, Andre also had the single that started it all in th 5th inning of the 2nd game and he had a walk and scored on Loney’s slam, so he did contribute and I agree that he and Matt are going to come up big in this next series. I was noticing there are a few Red Sox and Angels that have no hits at all in the series, including Andre’s friend, Dustin, who is a big reason the Red Sox are where they are this season. Even the best players have a few quiet games here and there. It’s just the way it goes.

Nelly – I said before the NLDS started that if the Dodgers got past the Cubs, that they would go to the WS. I think the Phils will be a lot tougher on us than the Cubs were, but I still think we can beat them…

bluecrewgirl ~ you are so right!! He sure is getting interviewed quite a bit lately too. Also, do you remember back when he first started his blog, he or Josh mentioned doing the Chef Jeff Project on the Food Channel? Well, that premeires next week (12th).

CP – I think we can take the Phillies too. Like we have been saying, we have a much different team now – Furcal and Kent, Nomar and even JP off the bench is much more of a threat than Sweeney,and our pitching has been phenomenal lately.
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bluecrewgirl – not sure, but I will check

Good Evening Ward Dear….. tough day for the Chargers and Nascar sure was interesting to say the least. I had an all morning church thing and then I went to visit my grandfather so I missed all the morning sporting events. I got back home in time to watch the last 20 or so laps of the race. Nasty crash at the end there. How was your day?

Was watching the endless ballgame……..I thought for sure the Angels would blow it, but they lucked out. I love manager Mike, but the rest of the team gives me the creeps. Not at all cool and handsome, like our Dodgers. And, nellyae, I did forget to mention that I am a member of the Looney Loney’s too! Right now, I’d buy anything that had Dodgers on it………..in fact, I may have to go to Smart & Final and pick up some Dodger Dogs.

Yeah, the Charger game was a real bust in my house. Chris hates the Fish as much as we hate the Giants, if not more so! That race was a big exercise in frustration as well, although Jimmie escaped the carnage with a 9th place finish. He should have been able to do better than that, I thought.

You’ll never guess what I have on the tube right now. It’s on TCM and it’s called “Headin’ Home”. A silent, made in 1920, with some guy called Babe Ruth as the star.

Night CP. Eric, the Chargers should have won that game today. Their offensive line didn’t do a good job at all. Rivers did miss on that one long pass, but overall he wasn’t getting good protection and receivers weren’t getting open. Their defense has been questionable all season. They really miss Shawne’s emotion as well as his talent. He would have been in people’s faces today at the lack of intensity.

bluecrewGIRL, there’s no doubt that they’re just not the same defensive team without Merriman. But that doesn’t excuse the lack of offense. To score only 10 on Miami with the talent they have is terrible. I’m glad I didn’t see much of it, I would have been angry. It was halftime when we got home from church and by then the boys were racin’ in Alabama.

nelly, it’s not a biography. But he’s playing a big dumb country boy who “loves to play baseball and eat and has talent for both”. He’s really young here, not much fat on him at all.

jungar – LOL!!! ~ your timing is always hilarious, and yes, I am not a big fan of the Red Sox. I don’t particularly like their fans too much ethier (either). I got to sit to them during a few A’s games, and they aren’t the most delightful people, not saying all are, but you know……

Good evening everyone! I have my Ghiradelli brownies with my family and they were great, especially when you get some vanilla ice cream melting down onto the brownie! Yum!!! I too am missing having games to comment on. This is a great time of year, but it also makes me think that in about a month we will have a drought of Dodgers games through the fall and winter. Oh well, it will be a great drought if we have a World Series championship to remember!

jhall/Wally ~ I have had you on my mind all morning. I had to switch from Chicago White Sox to Cincinnati Reds today for my geography unit, so all my Ohio stuff is going up. I forgot Cincinnati has one of the most awesome theme parks in the country – “Kings Island”, which is home of some pretty wicked roller coasters – fun stuff!!!

cpompe,
Have you ever been to Jeff Suppan’s restaurant in Woodland Hills? Soupsgrill Is on Ventura blvd. He was real nice to use when we were there. He showed us around and went thru the pictures he has on the wall telling us stories about them. ouside he has seats from the old Bush Stadium. Check it out if you can.

Good morning MomNell and Trumom!!! Thursday does seem like a long way off. Yep Nell, the roller coasters at King’s Island are great. Cedar Point near Cleveland has even better ones. Hope you have a great day.

Good Morning ITD, JHALL, CPOMPE, DNEL, TRU & EMMA….it is a very very beautiful morning. I just have a feeling that it will be a long week waiting for Thursday.
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It was an exciting game on Saturday…I saw it all. The only thing I missed (hey I had to use the restroom LOL!) it was when the Cubs scores, so I didn’t miss much.

Good morning Dnelly
Watch out Phillies, here we come. I think that the other teams aren’t taking the Dodgers seriously. Oh well, too bad. So sad. They will find out that the Dodgers are definitely a power to be reckoned with just as the Cubbies did. I would rather the Dodgers played the Red Sox only so they can see our Manny who was once their Manny. Haha.

CPOMPE & XOX it will be great for the Dodgers to meet with the Red Sox. Oh man I just know than when it is time for Manny to bat then Boston is going to be booooiing him. He is hated back east, but always loved in SoCal. It will be a great World Series. But first we meet Phillies and they are tough. We must win the NL Series.
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CPOMPE this Ethieraholic is doing Ethierrific, thanks.

Happy 100 years to Phillipe’s! A regular hangout for Dodger fans before and after a game! Sandwitches will be 10 cents and coffee 5 cents. http://www.philippes.com/ Opens at 4: pm. (closed 2pm to4pm) Roger the peanut man, Huell Howser and others will be in attendance. Maybe I’ll go check it out since I am two blocks away when I get off the metrolink train at Union Station.

Semi-weekly letter to the Times:
“Regarding Bill Plaschke’s Monday article on Joe Torre, you’d have to look pretty hard to find a bigger critic of Torre than me. And, other than the fact that it’s taken 162 games for him to figure out a few things, I’ll agree that he has assembled a fine playoff roster and has finally put the right guys in the starting lineup. Now, if he’ll only KEEP them in there and not do anything really stupid, like making Manny part of a double-switch in a game that’s headed for extra innings, we’ll get along just fine.”

crzyblue- Let us know if you make it there for lunch. It would be great to be there, i’m on the wrong side of town.
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Agreed, CP- good luck, I hope it all works out🙂
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Eric- I like your piece. Through all the downers this season, you are still able to give props when Torre does right. I will keep the faith that he will continue to make the right moves and
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BEAT THE PHILLIES!!!!

Hiya amy! Thanks. Although you wouldn’t know it by reading this blog, I’m really not a negative guy. I want to be supportive all the time. But when I disagree with something, I’ve learned over the last couple of decades to voice my concerns instead of holding them inside. That was killing me when I was in my early 20s.

good luck Carol!
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Eric, I never written to the Times. Only to T.J. and he was nasty on his response to me. How early do you have to submit letters?
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Did I tell you all that I had a long chat with Plaschke about two weeks ago when I told him that I had resposted his column about Sweet Lou Johnson here? I told him you all liked his article. He said normally bloggers don’t like him. He asked me for my business card. Tommy Lasorda came and interrupted our chat🙂

Amy,
I am in the wrong side too. I work in Chatsworth, but when I get out of work, I do take Metrolink to Union Station and get there at 6:20. I want to buy the 100 year pin.
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Did you get the pics I sent?

crz, I’ve found that the earlier in the week, the better. If it’s something late-breaking in the news, they’ll usually print something sent in on Thursday if it’s important enough. For example, we got Manny late in the week (Thursday or Friday), if I remember correctly. And there were letters on Saturday.

Usually, short and sweet will get you in if you have something to say. Sometimes someone else will get in first, or say it a little better.

Plaschke can be really great or just plain stupid. Most of the time, unless he’s writing another one of his tear-jerkers, he’s just blowing with the wind. When the wind turns direction, so does he.

I’ve written to Simers a couple of times, but I’ve never had a response from him, positive or negative.

The people in charge of the letters seem to be pretty fair. You can be supportive or negative, but as long as you have a good topic, you have a decent shot. Try it, it can be as addictive as THIS stuff!sports@latimes.com

Just checking in at the end of my lunch 50 (we don’t have an hour – lol), but not much has happened since the last time I posted. All I can say is this is going to be an agonizing 3-4 days until the Dodgers play again. Have a great afternoon everyone, and I will check in when I get the chance. Afternoons are a little less hectic, and I usually have more down time.
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jungar – 76 hours, 20 minutes and counting….. lol!!!!

I have to get back to work, but saw this article on my lunch break. Is anyone else as sick as I am of the media trying to paint the young Dodgers in a bad light? None of them have every done anything to make the Dodgers look bad.

Good Afternoon, ITD!
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A phew phun phacts about the Philadelphia Phillies:
– This team’s only World Series Championship came in 1980.
– Our president in 1980 was Jimmy Carter, the peanut pharmer.
– Jimmy Carter was in the process of losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan, the former governer of California.
– The federal funds rate reached a high of 19% in 1980.
– The misery index, or sum of the unemployment rate and inflation rate, reached an all-time high of 21.98% in June, 1980. By comparison, the latest available misery index in July 2008 was 11.30% (may be going up as I type this comment).
– Philadelphia has had the team name Phillies since 1890. They were known as the Quakers from 1883 to 1889.

BlueCrewGirl – interesting article, it is sad to say but when a team has so much talent and only a few spots, the tension between team members can grow. Sometimes it is just plain jealousy. It sad but it happens often in the work place. Kobe & Shaq, they had a big rivalry and sure they were winning but if they don’t work together then the team’s will have problems (we all know how it ended). Last years Dodgers team is different from this year. Yeah it is alot of the same players but this year it seems that they are getting along better. They have grown up and they probably got to know each other better. It seems that there is a lot of teamwork, sacrafices to help the team out. CAN WE ALL JUST GET ALONG.
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GO DODGERS….THINK BLUE….THINK WIN!

bluecrewgirl – I feel it’s been the exact opposite. The young players have gone out of their way to say and do the right thing all season. With everything some of them have gone through, they have always said positive things about Torre, Coletti and their veteran teammates (especially those they are competing with -ie. Nomar, JP, Kent and Andruw)
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Crash – I love all the fun facts – thanks🙂
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game time ~ 71 hours, 17 minutes and counting (based of a 5 pm, pst. start time) This could change when time has been determined.

A Phew more Phun Phacts about 1980:
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The year’s top grossing movie was Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
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The year’s longest movie, at 214 minutes, was Heaven’s Gate (also one of the all-time worst movies).
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The compact disc (aka “CD”) was developed by Phillips Electronics and Sony Corp.
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The Super Bowl was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers, over the Los Angeles Rams.
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The NCAA basketball champion was Louisville, who beat UCLA.
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The Stanley Cup was won by the New York Islanders, over the Philadelphia Flyers.
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The Dow Jones high for the year was 1,009.39
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Crude oil went for $37.42 per barrel.

CRASH – interesting facts…”Heaven’s Gate” I’ve never heard of that movie, but since it was one of the worst movies, it explains why…..L.A. RAMS~that’s funny. It sad that L.A. can’t keep a football team…Raiders/Rams:(
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DNEL ~ THANKS FOR THE COUNTDOWN. Don’t you just wonder what are boys in blue are doing right now? Ethier is probably with his family and hopefully spending a lot of time with his Baby Ethier.

DNelly, I agree the young players have done everything right. They do a lot of charity work for the team, they always make themselves available for interviews, etc. That’s why it makes me so mad when they get dissed. I think they have done the Dodger very proud.

“Heaven’s Gate” was one of the most beautifully filmed movies of all time, right up there with “The Black Stallion”. The biggest difference between the two is that they forgot to figure out a plot for Heaven’s Gate.

Okay, here’s my question for the day. With two left-handers in the Phillies rotation (Hamels and Moyer), what do you think Torre will do regarding our lefties in the line-up? Dare he platoon Nomar with Loney, the hands-down winner of the NLDS MVP? Would he be so stupid to platoon Kent with DeWitt, sacrificing defense for potentially a little more offense? Would he do something totally moronic as to sit Andre “Mr September” Ethier, thinking that he has cooled off for the rest of the year?

bluecrewgirl – they have done the Dodgers very proud, indeed!!!!
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dodgereric – I remember seeing “Heaven’s Gate”, but I don’t remember any of it, but maybe that’s why. Didn’t it have some famous people in it too – Chistopher Walken , Kristofferson (?)

crash, I was just talking to the only other Dodger fan here at work about this very thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started Nomar at first and benched the guy who won two games for us. I would be surpised if he made the Kent/DeWitt move. I would be shocked out of my gourd if he benched Ethier. Here’s what all that would look like. Avert your eyes if you’re squeamish or under 18:

Don’t you think he’d (Torre) be excited at all that veteran talent? He probably writes this down and sighs. I really hope I’m wrong. I hope he sticks with what got us here, the lineup that broke the Cubbie’s hearts. No need to post it, we all know what it looks like and it works.

Okay, it was bugging me so I looked up the movie, “Heaven’s Gate”, and it was actually nominated for an Oscar. I wouldn’t have watched it in 1980 because I was just starting highschool, so I must have watched it on a movie channel later in life. I did have some pretty famous people – John Hurt and Sam Waterston and Jeff Bridges in addition to the other two I mentioned. Boy, what did we do without google?

Yep nelly, that’s the one. The director was the guy who directed the “Deer Hunter” and I don’t know if he ever did another one. There were huge cost overruns and it was like 4-5 hours long. I’m sure that had a great deal to do with its failure. I was into seeing movies in really good theaters in those days and I’d drive (or motorcycle) the 40 miles or so into Westwood from West Covina to watch them. I remember it as really long and beautifully photographed, but really, really boring.

Rose, it’s a western, about the cattle industry vs the little people, I think. A theme that’s been done to death. And I hope you’re right about the lineup. But I guarantee that Torre is remembering Nomar’s HRs against the Padres and that Kent’s 4 for 8 since he returned.

Dodgersrule – I copied it. I don’t think I could have summarized it myself – lol I am guessing I watched this one with my husband. I don’t think this is one I would have watched on my own, and it’s definitely not a chick flick – lol!! My tastes in movies have changed alot since then, and I would have ventured to watch it now if I saw it in passing, but not now that Eric says it has no plot.
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Anyhow – here’s the plot (or not, I guess)
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Michael Cimino’s bleak anti-western based on events in 1890s Wyoming. Sheriff James Averill attempts to protect immigrant farmers from wealthy cattle interests, and also clashes with a hired gun, Nathan Champion, over the woman they both love, Ella Watson. Both men find themselves questioning their roles in the furious conflict between wealthy landowners and European immigrants attempting to build new lives on the American frontier, which culminates in a brutal pitched battle. Written by Bernard Keane

I just hope Torre do play Kent & Nomar but as pinch hitters, or if we are like 10-0 Dodgers and have like 1 or maybe 2 innings to go, then maybe OK, Let’s rest our starters. But hey almost a whole week off, our starters should be starting.

DNEL & ERIC : It is no chick flick. It kinda sounds like a Clint Eastwood movie but the only difference is Clint Eastwood movies (his movies he is directing NOW) are great and have a wonderful plot.
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Thanks DNEL for the summery

Michael Cimino! That’s the guy! I couldn’t remember his name to save my life. OK, so it has a plot. Just not a very good one. I also don’t remember the end, so I have to wonder if I stuck around. I’ve walked out on a few in my day. Did you know that you can ask for your money back? They’ll usually do it, too. I’ve done it maybe 8 – 10 times and I’ve never been refused. They either give me the cash or a coupon for a free movie.

Eric – That would be a fun list of yours to know – LOL!!!! I don’t think I have ever walked out of a movie, but I have definitely fallen asleep during some.
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Okay – I gotta go, the taxi mom just got summoned. Catch up to all of you later.

I think he’ll go with the same lineup. He would be completely stupid not to. I think he might move Matt to the 5 spot in between Andre and James to break up the 2 lefties in a row. I will be very upset if he does anything beyond that.

Not sure if anyone else posted this, but here’s an ESPN article on Loney. Here’s an excerpt:

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In the end, the cursed goat didn’t lead to Chicago’s demise. Instead, the Cubs did themselves in with a lineup full of tamed bats. They scored just six runs in the three games, or as many runs as Dodgers first baseman James Loney delivered in two series-defining at-bats: the first, a grand slam in Game 1 at Wrigley Field that quieted a raucous crowd and put an entire town on edge; the second, a two-run double in Saturday’s game that gave the Dodgers a lead in Game 3 they did not relinquish.

“We scratched the surface of how good this kid is going to be,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said of Loney. “He reminds me a lot of Bernie Williams, and sometimes he makes you scratch your head and other times you want to hug him.”

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The rest of the article, “Loney Delivers While Cubs Don’t” by Jorge Arangure Jr., can be found here:

The first two to leap into my mind are “California Earthquake” and “Survive”. The first one didn’t have anything to do with California or earthquakes, it was just a collection of stupid, bad jokes. The second was a story of a bunch of people who survived a plane crash in Central or South America. They killed a live alligator in a most disgusting manner and I leaped out of my seat and made for the manager. “Howard the Duck”. Gawd. “Laser Blast” was a “Star Wars” copycat. Miserable. “Stop Or My Mother Will Shoot” with Sly Stallone. OMG!

I can appreciate movies that are so bad you can have a blast laughing at them. Anything by Ed Wood, for instance. Most any of the scifi movies in the 50s. I guess this is a topic that can waste some time until Thursday, huh?

Good evening ITD gang!
Looks like another depressing bummer for the windy city. Boo Hoo!
It ought to be a great series against the Phillies. If they can keep Howard in check with some good solid pitching & defense, it’s in the bag.
As far as the AL playoff picture goes, it would be kind of cool to face the Bosox in the WS, even though I can’t stand them, or their pompous, idiotic, uppity blue blood fans. I’m just thinking of Manny, and Lowe facing their former team, and Joe getting a trip down memory lane. Face it. The Angels stepped in s**t last night with that missed pop up, and came out smelling like a rose in the end. Maybe Lackey will fare better tonight.

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